Rakuchu Rakugai-zu Folding Screens 勝興寺/洛中洛外図屏風 六曲一双

Official explanation

This striking pair of early seventeenth-century folding screens is a temple treasure. It depicts a bird’s-eye-view of the city of Kyoto and its surroundings. In the composition, golden clouds hang over the city, while scattered openings reveal notable landmarks and snapshots of life during the Edo period (1603–1867). This maplike style of painting portraying downtown Kyoto (rakuchu) and its outskirts (rakugai) was popular between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.

The left screen shows western Kyoto and its landmarks, including Nijo Castle, the Kyoto residence of the shogun, and Nishi Honganji Temple, on which Shokoji Temple was modeled. The right screen depicts eastern Kyoto, with the Imperial Palace on the left and Kiyomizudera Temple on the upper right. The panels were likely painted between 1603 and 1623, as inferred from the inclusion of Nijo Castle, completed in 1603, and Fushimi Castle, which was torn down in 1623. Across the panels, decorated floats from the city’s most important festival, the Gion Matsuri, are pulled through the streets, merchants sell their wares, and nobles stroll about or watch Noh theater.

Read the full explanation

It is believed the screens were brought to Shokoji Temple when the daughter of court noble Takatsukasa Masahiro (1761–1841) married the twentieth abbot of the temple. The pair of screens is designated an Important Cultural Property. A full-size replica is on display in the Temple Office.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.